WTS Sparta Wrocław

WTS Sparta Wrocław, also known as Betard Sparta Wrocław for sponsorship reasons, are a motorcycle speedway team based in Wrocław, Poland. They were established in 1950. The team's home track is at the Olympic Stadium, which has a capacity of 13,000 people. The team currently competes in the Ekstraliga (the highest division)[1] and have won the Team Speedway Polish Championship five times (as of 2022).[2]

Stadion Olimpijski, home venue of Sparta Wrocław
Sparta Wrocław
Club information
Track addressOlympic Stadium
Wrocław
CountryPoland
Founded1950 (as WTS since 1992)
Team managerDariusz Śledź
Team captainMaciej Janowski
LeaguePolish Ekstraliga
WebsiteOfficial Website
Club facts
ColoursYellow and Red
NicknameSparta
Track size352 metres (385 yd)
Track record time60.06 seconds
Track record date2020-08-16
Track record holderTai Woffinden
Major team honours
Team Polish Champions1993, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2021
Pair Polish Champion2001, 2011, 2016, 2018
Individual Polish Champion1952, 1954, 1960, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020

History

1951 to 1958

During the 1951 Polish speedway season a team from Wrocław called Spójnia Wrocław was created to compete in the first league. The team finished last but performed much better in 1952, finishing 2nd. It is worth noting that a second club competed in Wrocław during the early 1950s but CWKS Wrocław was historically a Warsaw club and is not connected to this club.[3][4]

Edward Kupczyński was the club's first star rider winning the 1952 Polish Individual Speedway Championship[5] and the team won honours during the next seven consecutive years, winning silver and bronze medals in the Team Speedway Polish Championship from 1952 to 1958.[6] The club also became known as Sparta Wrocław, with the exception of 1957 when the club competed as Ślęza Wrocław.[4] Mieczysław Połukard became Polish champion in 1954.

1959 to 1992

After relegation in 1959 the team gained promotion back to the highest division after winning the Second League (West) in 1960.[7] During the next three decades success became sparse with only three bronze medals won in 1963, 1967 and 1968 respectively. The team were renamed WTS (Wrocławskie Towarzystwo Sportowe) in 1992.

1993 to 1995

During the 1993 Polish speedway season the club won the gold medal for the first time in their history. The team's averages improved significantly on 1992 and Tommy Knudsen, Dariusz Śledź, Piotr Baron and Wojciech Załuski were instrumental in helping win the league.[8][9] The same team repeated the feat to win the gold medal in 1994 and 1995, with only Piotr Protasiewicz coming in during 1995.

1996 to 2014
Jason Crump leads a race for Wrocław in 2009

After a silver medal in 1999, Wrocław became inaugural members of the Ekstraliga in 2000.[10] In 2006, the club won their fourth gold medal with a team led by Australian world champion Jason Crump. In 2012, the club signed Tai Woffinden.

2015 to present

From 2015 the club remain one of the leading clubs in Poland, challenging on all fronts and have won three more Polish Pairs Speedway Championships, during the 2011 Polish speedway season, 2016 Polish speedway season and 2018 Polish speedway season. The club won a fifth gold medal during the 2021 Polish speedway season, with riders including Maciej Janowski, Artem Laguta, Tai Woffinden, Dan Bewley and Gleb Chugunov.

Teams

2023 team

Previous teams
Extended content

2022 team

Notable riders

Honours
Competitions Total Golden medals Silver medals Bronze medals
Total Years Total Years Total Years
Team (DMP)
(since 1948)		 25 5 1993, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2021 10 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2015, 2017, 2019 10 1952, 1953, 1955, 1963, 1967, 1968, 2002, 2007, 2018, 2020
Team U-21 (MDMP)
(since 1978)		 2 0 0 2 1992, 1993
Pairs (MPPK)
(since 1974)		 7 1 2001 4 1975, 1976, 1995, 2007 2 1978, 1999
Pairs U-21 (MMPPK)
(1980 U-23; since 1983)		 3 0 1 2001 2 1998, 2006
Individual (IMP)
(since 1948)		 18 3 1952, 1954, 1960 4 1956, 1958, 2001, 2004 11 1954, 1957, 1969, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Individual U-21 (MIMP)
(since 1967)		 4 2 2002, 2008 2 1995, 2001 0
Total Polish Championship medals: 59 Gold: 11 Silver: 21 Bronze: 27
Competitions Total I place II place III place
Total Years Total Years Total Years
European Club (KPE)
(since 1998)		 1 0 1 2007 0
Team Cup (DPP)
(?)		 6 1 1995 1 1993 4 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
Golden Helmet (ZK)
(since 1961)		 11 4 1979, 1980, 1993, 1999 4 1994, 2001, 2003, 2004 3 2001, 2003, 2005
Silver Helmet U-21 (SK)
(since 1966)		 8 3 1968, 1994, 2008 4 1996, 1999, 2000, 2006 1 1972
Bronze Helmet U-19 (BK)
(1976-81; since 1983)		 5 1 1993 3 1991, 1992, 2008 1 1979


References
  1. "Speedway from Around the Globe - Poland PGE Ekstraliga". Speedway Star page 42. 10 September 2022.
  2. "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2022". Speedway History. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  3. "Historia Drużynowych Mistrzostw Polski". Zuzeland.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  4. "History". Sparta Wroclaw Speedway. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  5. "Polish Individual Speedway Championship". Historia Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  6. "Historia Speedway Polsce 1952". Speedway History. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  7. "Historia Speedway Polsce 1960". Speedway History. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  8. "Zespoły 1993 Wroclaw team statistics". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  9. "Drużynowe Mistrzostwa Polski (PGE Ekstraliga)". Speedway Fansite. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  10. "Historia Drużynowych Mistrzostw Polski". Zuzeland.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
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